Ligue 1 Matchweek 8 runs from Friday 23 October to Sunday 25 October 2026, featuring nine fixtures across three days. The weekend is headlined by a direct duel at the top between league leaders Lyon and second-placed Paris Saint-Germain, while the lower half remains tightly packed with six clubs separated by three points. Model forecasts are published for the Friday opener, while projections for the subsequent matches appear on each individual match page the day before kickoff.
The match of the round: Stade Brestois 29 vs Nice
Friday's round opener brings together tenth-placed Stade Brestois 29 and 13th-placed Nice, separated by a single point in the table. The standings disguise the true trajectory of the home side. Stade Brestois sit tenth with nine points, yet rank third in Ligue 1 by expected points under Julien Lachuer. They enter this fixture having collected four points from their last two league games, including an emphatic 5-1 home victory over Angers and a 1-1 draw away at Lille.
Nice, conversely, have struggled when travelling. They arrive having collected zero points from their three away trips this season, most recently losing 2-1 away at Lyon. While they have posted two 2-1 home wins against Strasbourg and Lille, their lack of production on the road makes this a demanding assignment. Nice will also be without Ali Abdi, Antoine Mendy, and Laurent Abergel through injury.
Our forecasting model leans towards a Stade Brestois 29 win, rating that match result call as a cautious projection. In secondary markets, the model displays medium confidence that both teams will score, that the contest will produce more than 2.5 goals, and that Brest will score the opening goal. A 2-1 victory for Stade Brestois 29 is the projected scoreline, though exact scorelines carry low confidence.
Saturday
Lens host third-placed Paris FC on Saturday evening following a demanding European trip in which they lost 3-0 at Club Brugge KV. In league play, Lens sit eighth after a 3-1 win at Estac Troyes, but they must manage without injured trio Abdallah Sima, Ismaëlo Ganiou, and Jhoanner Chávez. Florian Thauvin leads the hosts with four goals this season. Paris FC arrive on 14 points after an eventful 4-3 win over Rennes, though they miss Jonathan Ikoné and Nhoa Sangui, leaning heavily on forward Lassine Sinayoko, who has scored six times.
Sunday
Sunday begins with fifth-placed Monaco hosting fourth-placed Lille, with both clubs level on 14 points. Monaco secured a 3-0 home win over SC Freiburg in Europe on Thursday despite an earlier 1-0 league defeat at Lorient; top scorer Paris Josua Brunner already has eight goals across all competitions, but Eric Dier and Stanis Idumbo are sidelined. Lille suffered a 4-2 defeat to Galatasaray on Wednesday and drew 1-1 with Stade Brestois in their last league game, while missing top scorer Ayase Ueda alongside Hamza Igamane and Osame Sahraoui.
Four fixtures follow in the mid-afternoon slate. Angers host Lorient seeking to halt a poor defensive run that has seen them concede ten goals across defeats to Marseille and Brest. Lorient, sitting seventh on 11 points, arrive with consecutive 1-0 clean-sheet wins over Monaco and Paris FC, though they are missing Bandiougou Fadiga, Isak Steiner Jensen, and Mohamed Bamba.
Auxerre welcome Le Mans after securing a 3-1 away win at Le Havre, powered by Cameron Archer's four goals this campaign. Le Mans sit 16th with six points following consecutive defeats to Toulouse and Paris Saint-Germain, and enter without Adil Bourabaa, Erwan Colas, and Martin Rossignol.
Marseille take on bottom club Le Havre after a mixed spell, rebounding from European setbacks with a 5-2 away victory over Angers where Amine Gouiri took his season tally to five goals. Le Havre remain 18th with just two points from seven matches, having conceded three goals to Auxerre last weekend, with Elias Jelert, Felix Mambimbi, and Lionel Mpasi-Nzau absent.
Rennes host Strasbourg after earning a 2-2 draw away at Juventus in Europe. Rennes sit sixth on 13 points, though they must cope without top scorer Estéban Lepaul, who has seven goals this term. Strasbourg sit 14th after three consecutive defeats, most recently falling 3-1 to Paris Saint-Germain, and travel without Ismaël Doukouré, Joaquín Panichelli, and Martial Godo.
Toulouse face 17th-placed Estac Troyes in good spirits, having won 3-0 away at Le Mans with Casper Tengstedt reaching five goals on the season. Troyes have scored just five goals while conceding 16, arriving on a three-match losing sequence and missing Anis Ouzenadji, Ismaël Boura, and Yvann Titi.
The round concludes on Sunday night when second-placed Paris Saint-Germain host leaders Lyon. Both sides sit on 14 points, with Lyon ahead on goal difference. Paris Saint-Germain enter after beating Barcelona 4-2 in Europe, though they are without Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, and Nuno Mendes, looking to Ferran Torres after his seven goals this term. Lyon, beaten 3-0 at 1899 Hoffenheim on Thursday, must manage without suspended attacker Keito Nakamura as well as injured pair Loïs Openda and Mohamed Ouédraogo.
By Sunday night, the top of Ligue 1 could have an outright leader, as Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, Paris FC, Lille, and Monaco all start the weekend separated by no more than goal difference.
